Recently, Colorado College students opened "Sacred Grounds," a coffee shop serving Fair Trade coffee and offering live music and performances, in the chapel basement. It is adjacent to the student-organized and student-run community soup kitchen that has been serving meals on Sundays for 12 years. Three years ago an InterFaith House opened on campus to provide a more informal space for campus groups; among other things, the house hosts a dinner/film/discussion series with popular films such as "Vanilla Sky" and "Shawshank Redemption." A new labyrinth is under construction near academic buildings and the chapel. "Increasingly, we see that sacred spaces aren’t just in chapels; they can be all over campus," Chaplain Bruce Coriell said.

Coriell actually eliminated a Sunday service in order to make all faiths feel more welcomed, and it worked. More religious groups (about 25) use the chapel now, for everything from Buddhist meditation to Catholic Mass. He serves all faiths, traditions, and needs, and is also a member of the faculty. The college also has an assistant chaplain. Students are no longer choosing between one tradition and another; they’re building their own, Coriell said. Despite its location in Colorado Springs, which in recent years has become a center for evangelical Christian groups, the largest portion of Colorado College’s student body has for many years self-identified as "no preference" on religion. Coriell said 40 percent are "no preference," 20 percent are Catholic, about 15 percent belong to other Christian groups, 7-10 percent are Jewish, and there is a smattering of other non-Christian faiths.

"We’ve seen increases [in interest] in lots of different ways. When you get to the point where the institution wants to talk about the role of religion in the public sphere, that’s a signal that we’re living in a different time," Coriell said. CC will offer a symposium in October 2006 (with additional events throughout the 2005-2006 academic year) titled "Religion and Public Life: Why Be Afraid?"

Peterson believes that whatever upsurge in student interest resulted from the terrible events of 9/11 has run its course and that any current or continuing rise re: student interest in spirituality is - at least at Earlham - based on long-standing curiosity about "The Existentialist Questions." She also concedes that more recent events like last December's Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have renewed a sense of uncertainty for many in our current generation of college students, who increasingly are "trying to make some sense of it all."

The goal of campus ministries at Earlham, Peterson says, is not to try to explain, but to "encourage students to explore for themselves the spiritual dimensions" of a range of events. To assist in this endeavor, the college received a significant Faith & Vocation Grant from the Lilly Endowment, which allowed for the hiring of two additional campus ministries staff persons as well as the development of a number of new campus ministries program offerings and outreach initiatives.

In terms of the popularity of related student groups, participation in the college's Gospel Revelations choir has grown dramatically in recent years, from roughly 80 voices in the late '90s to more than double that today. Meanwhile, interest in the campus Buddhism club has increased so much that a group of involved students now is petitioning the college (through the Student Development Office) to establish a Buddhist House among Earlham's various religious theme and living learning houses, which include Interfaith House, Quaker House and Beit Kehillah (Jewish Cultural Center). Furthermore, students with religious/spiritual interests continue to support 14 other related campus groups - each with at least one volunteer faculty advisor - among them "Questing Catholics" (nurturing the faith of Catholic students), Taize Worship (emulating the ecumenical Taize community of southern France), the Jewish Student Union (supporting Jewish students in the expression of their Jewish identity), the Earlham Muslim Student Association (supporting the practice of Islam), the Unitarian Universalists and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. All of these groups, says Peterson, are gaining in participation and effectiveness, influencing not only religious diversity on campus but also (positive) relations with the Richmond/Wayne County community-at-large through their involvement with organizations like the Wernle Children's Home and projects like Habitat for Humanity.

While a practicing Quaker, Peterson - a member of the Earlham faculty, as are all senior administrators here - does not function as a religious leader, i.e., chaplain, so much as (in her words) a religious facilitator. "I see my responsibilities more in terms of administrative support," Peterson says, "though as a Quaker I believe that everyone is a minister [responsible for] facilitating, nurturing and drawing out the gifts and abilities of other persons." For specific worship services, the college either invites clergy to campus or helps to arrange transportation for students and faculty to local/regional churches, synagogues, mosques, etc.

Father Anthony Figueiredo, executive director of the university’s Office of Mission and Ministry, ensures that the mission of the university remains both vital and evident to students, faculty, staff, administrators, regents, trustees, and alumni. In this capacity, Father Figueiredo supervises Campus Ministry, the International Institute for Clergy Formation, the University Chaplain, and the Office of Board Affairs. He also retains his faculty position as professor of theology at the Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology. Father Figueiredo also served Special Assistant to Pope John Paul II during the historic five worldwide Synods of Bishops (1997-2001), as well as at the Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals in May 2001. He continues to serve as Religion Analyst for MSNBC.

Seton Hall University draws a number of students interested in spirituality because of the fact that it is a Catholic institution. With that said, the University has seen an increase in student involvement in religious-based activity in the past few years. Attendance at mass has approximately doubled in the past ten years. Rev. James Spera, director of Campus Ministry believes this is because many of young people today are "spiritually starved." While they are rich in material goods, they have less moral and spiritual guidance. When students come to a place with a rich, spiritual connection, they tend to search for that higher understanding, he added.

Three years ago, Seton Hall formed a chapter of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) – a national organization that serves as a resource for students desiring to learn more about their faith and how to apply it to every facet of their lives. Through FOCUS, weekly bible studies are available on campus for all students, as well as other various activities and opportunities. Seton Hall’s FOCUS has increased its bible studies classes from three to 13 in the past three years.

Worthy Questions: A program that matches student questors with adult mentors on a journey to explore the questions that both encounter in life. This program includes students from a variety of faith-traditions.

Sacred Spaces: In an effort to provide students with a place of refuge, peace, and quiet, several "Sacred Spaces" have been provided in residence halls. These places are "adopted" and maintained by interested student organizations so that students from all traditions can enter to pray, meditate, or simply escape the fast pace of campus life.

Integrated Programs: In conjunction with the Lilly Project for the Exploration of Vocation, the Office of Interfaith Campus Ministries supports a number of other spiritual endeavors, including Seminary Semester, Faculty and Staff retreats, Pre-ministry exploration, Re-integration following off-campus study, and Congregational Partnerships.

Sitting on Fridays: An exploration and experience of contemplative reflection within the Buddhist and Christian traditions.

EnRoute: This student-led, Protestant Christian group sponsors weekly worship services and theological discussion groups.

Interfaith Dialogues: Based around shared concerns and themes. Some of these have been co-facilitated by the campus minister and members of the Jewish and Muslim community in Wooster.

Weekly Torah study: Led by the Campus Rabbi.

Student religious groups that are members of the Interfaith Council include the Muslim Students Association, Fellowship of Christian Anybodies (formally the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, but changed to be more inclusive), Hillel (a Jewish student group also open to non-Jewish students), Newman Catholic Student Association (for Catholic students), Peace by Peace (a community of peacemakers), Sisters in Spirit (supporting women’s spiritual growth), Wooster Christian Fellowship (a chapter of InterVarsity), and Soup & Bread (a program of the college in cooperation with Hospitality Services that provides students with the opportunity to gather twice a week for a simple meal. The monies saved on the meal are then donated to various service organizations). Interfaith Campus Ministries is also closely related to the college’s Wooster volunteer Network which is the student-run service organization.

As a Presbyterian college, Wooster had mandatory chapel for many years, but that practice faded, as it did on many college campuses, during the turbulent '60s. There has not been new construction since the chapel was designed and built in the late '60s and early '70s. However, the Office of Interfaith Campus Ministries moved out of the Student Center into a renovated house at the beginning of this academic year. The new location provides offices for all the staff as well as the Wooster Volunteer Network. It also provides a large kitchen and eating area and several spaces for meetings and programs. The kitchen is now available to students from across the campus from 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. creating a low-tech retreat space on campus.

The religious studies department provides exposure to almost all faiths from an academic perspective, including Hinduism and Buddhism. Wooster recently adopted a new curriculum which maintained the requirement that all students take at least one course on the study of religion. Both the campus minister and the Rabbi serve as adjunct faculty in the Religious Studies Department, offering courses in peace studies, interfaith dialogue, feminist theology, Biblical Hebrew, and Holocaust for academic credit.

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Jennifer Walters, dean of religious life, is noticing more interdenominational participation in religious events. For example, a number of Jewish and Protestant students attend the weekly meeting of the Catholic feminists. For Eid al-Fitr, the breaking of the Ramadan fast, there were 200 attendees even though there are only a small number of Muslim students on campus. Lots of non-Jewish students dine at the Kosher Kitchen on Friday nights. And Jewish, Muslim and Catholic students attend the Protestant fellowship dinners regularly.

This pattern shows that students are approaching spirituality in a more "pragmatic" way than in the past; i.e., they're less interested in dogma and more interested in practical ways to "nourish" themselves spiritually, according to Walters.

Walters said that a UCLA study showed that an increasing number of students believe spiritual nourishment can be derived from the appreciation of nature. In keeping with this notion, Smith recently organized a sunrise hike to the top of Skinner Mountain. Although there was heavy snowfall that day, 32 people joined her for the hike. Walters suspects there would be far fewer participants if this event were organized around a more traditional religious event, like the celebration of Mass on the mountaintop.

For the most part, chaplains are not members of the Smith faculty, nor is it a requirement for their positions. Walters tends to "serve all faiths" --students seek her out because she's not affiliated with one particular religious denomination. Smith is expanding its offerings in Buddhism – including the hire of an adjunct Buddhist chaplain - via regular meditation sessions, retreats, discussions and poetry readings.

According to Dietrich, while interest in spirituality is increasing, it is pretty clear that interest in established religions, as traditionally practiced, is not growing, at least not as fast. "So, in the established religions, the increasing interest in spirituality is going hand in hand with an increased interest in tweaking those religions to accommodate new thinking," Dietrich says. "The result is both new religions and new twists on old religions."

Rabbi Aaron Slonim, director of Chabad House Jewish Student Center, has been associated with Binghamton University since 1985 and has seen a couple of generations of students come and go. "To me, it seems that the '90s were characterized by a turn away from all things that were not directly related to receiving one's degree and obtaining a lucrative position," he said. "I saw a marked decrease in social consciousness, ferment and passion on campus. Over the last five years, however, possibly due to events such as 9/11, natural disasters, and political unrest in various parts of the world, there seems to be an awakening. Students are seeking more of a connection to spirituality: they are seeking meaning in life."

Simultaneously, Slonim sees a significant percentage of students who are hesitant to connect with a religious or spiritual source, seemingly afraid of making the kind of life changes that could ensue. "In other words, our kids are seeking more than popular culture but have not been raised in a way that nurtures making commitments or rising above the instant gratification they are so used to," he said. "To address this, we have dramatically increased the type and number of programs we offer in an effort to draw in the ambivalent or religiously peripheral student. We offer kids a way to make a difference by taking part in charity campaigns such as blood drives, blankets for babies, etc. At the same time we offer them recreational programs so that they can simply ‘have fun’ with others of the same faith. This ‘something-for-everything’ approach has paid off and offered more doorways into a community of faith."

Slonim added that Chabad House is poised to embark upon a significant building expansion campaign. "We believe that a large crowd draws even more people in its wake as it becomes cool to be affiliated with a religiously based organization on campus," he said.

According to Associate Chaplain Rev. Eily Marlow, "As a chaplain I often meet with students who were not raised religious but are asking spiritual questions. Some speak of an indescribable knowledge of something greater than themselves. Others might share the experience of a hole in their heart that cannot be filled, and after trying all else they embark on a spiritual quest to find wholeness. Whether out of a reverence for life’s mysteries or a need for bigger answers in response to deep heart-ache, non-religious students know spirituality is a path that can be taken.

"Students do come to the Chapel, but they fill out their spiritual lives all over campus. Students who participate in the African Music Ensemble speak of something spiritual happening when they are creating a united sound and learning about African principles of music and life. Non-Christian students join Voices of Tamani, the gospel choir, because they are moved by the music. Students lead meditation and yoga classes to their peers.

"Students are very interested in exploring religious traditions that are not their own. Protestants attend the Jewish Seder meal, Pagan students attend Mass, and Hindu students attend the Muslim Eid celebration. These encounters with religious difference are both educational, and I believe, a part of one’s spiritual exploration.

"For the past three years we have had an interfaith Torah study. Students gather to study the Torah using the Jewish method of study yet bringing the diverse wisdom of their distinct traditions and personal insights.

"The Protestant worship circle has doubled in the past two years. Muslim students have held a large Eid dinner and Hindu students have thrown a Diwali celebration, a festival of lights, for the last three years. Both these public celebrations are new to Macalester. This change is not caused by an increase of Hindu or Muslim students, but because religious diversity is slowly becoming a type of diversity celebrated like other differences at Macalester. It is our hope that Macalester is slowly moving from religious tolerance toward celebration of diverse religious identities.

"Though the nine student religious organizations meet monthly, this semester a steering committee has formed to create a Religious Life Council. This council will provide direction for the increasingly diverse religious needs on campus and help students collaborate across traditions. This Council will also provide a unique opportunity for the students who sit on it to be in an intentional inter-faith community.

"In order to satisfy student’s interest in religious expression and thirst for spiritual experiences the Chapel often has to use the Twin Cities community as a resource. Thirty-eight students recently attended a Chapel sponsored workshop taught by a neighboring Zen Center on dealing with difficult emotions. This semester 20 students took a tour lead by the Chaplain and Community Service Office to a Hindu Temple, an Eastern Orthodox Church and a Mosque.

"There has been much talk about taking the cross off the top of the Chapel and re-naming the building the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life. As the Chapel and chaplaincy program transform, the official name and symbol change might end up following."

The popularity of related student groups – we have a Bible Study club on campus that’s new as of the past year (or revived since it’s been gone a while), the Buddhist monk’s classes are among the most popular, and we have a weekly meditation led by him but attended mostly if not entirely by students.

Probably the strongest "trend" at the colleges is the growth of Jewish celebrations. While Hobart and William Smith Colleges were founded by the Episcopalians, today HWS features Hillel, the Jewish culture club, and a Jewish Culture House. The colleges employ a Hillel Program Professional through the Religious Life Office who is a facilitator for the Jewish groups on campus, regularly hosting dinners for Shabbat and other celebrations and prayer services.

"People are not ‘interfaith,’ they are Muslims, or Christians, or Jews," said Mark Shiner, acting Catholic Chaplain at Colgate University. "We’re not trying to create soup. The strategy is that the strength of the whole is directly proportional to the strength of the parts. Students are best served when they are able to explore their own religious traditions and the traditions of others. A lot of people in the world are religious, so our students need to learn to talk to people of faith in meaningful ways."

Shiner also stressed the goodwill between the groups. "The Muslim and Catholic student groups had a joint dinner about the Crusades that went far better than the actual Crusades did. During Israel Week, the Jewish and Muslim students got together for a number of events."

Shiner also noted, "Our chaplaincy isn’t just group-centered. We also realize that our mission is to serve individuals who aren’t comfortable with or interested in groups but are still seeking a deeper, more connected spiritual life."

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